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Assemblyman Marcos A. Crespo was born in Guayama, Puerto Rico, on July 29th 1980, one of four children of Ivette Fontanez and Alberto Crespo. At a young age, Marcos moved with his family to New York City, where he began his elementary studies in the New York City Public Schools System. Marcos would also spend three years living in Lima, Per, where he completed his fourth and fifth grade studies while attending Santa Tersesita. He returned to Puerto Rico with his younger sister and his mother and completed High School at Carmen Bozello de Huyke High School, but soon thereafter, returned to New York to live with his father. His time living in Peru, Puerto Rico and New York allowed Marcos to broaden his views about the living conditions of people in other parts of the world.
Elected to the New York State Assembly at the age of 28, his hard work and outcome proven approach has allowed him to quickly move into a leadership position in his new capacity as Chairman of the Assembly Task Force on New Americans. In his new post he has moved diligently to address major issues facing the 4.3 million immigrants that call New York their home by holding statewide forums on health and education issues to help improve the lives of tens of thousands of our fellow residents. Assemblyman Crespo has used his Chairmanship to highlight the enormous contributions of immigrants to New York Immigrants are responsible for $229 billion in economic activity in New York State and comprise 27.3 percent of our labor force. He authored and both houses of the legislature passed the most comprehensive anti fraud measure to protect immigrants in over 30 years. He has translated his personal experiences and international travel into a dynamic list of legislative priorities that are focused on community and economic development based on social justice principles.
To this fact he has worked to ensure that the Bronx finally has Metro North train service that will cut commuting time into Manhattan by an hour for working families. He has diligently worked on improving traffic congestion and air quality for the neighborhoods near Hunts Point Terminal Market by building an additional ramp to the Bruckner Expressway, thereby removing hundred of trucks from local roads. He has fought to secure the remaining funding needed to finish the last phase of the Starlight Park trail to improve open space option for Bronx residents. In addition, he has taken on powerful foes in his work to remove tons of garbage trucked into the Bronx each day from Manhattan. This process pollutes Bronx neighborhoods and sickens its residents with sever respiratory diseases. He is one of the strongest voices in State government calling for the building of the Ganesvoort Recycling Facility in Manhattan. This will tremendously improve living conditions for Bronx residents and make Manhattan residents responsible for their own garbage.
He is one of the youngest members of the New York State Legislature and in his relatively short 4.5 years as a State legislator, Marcos has authored major pieces of legislation now law. His proposal to create an emergency energy backup system for the States critical state health and safety infrastructure during a natural disaster was included in the 2013-2014 State Budget. The new law will begin the process of rolling out microgrid technology to ensure hospitals, nursing homes, police headquarters, water and sewage treatment plants stay operational in case of a natural or man made disaster. Super Storm Sandy proved how vulnerable New Yorkers, especially children and the infirmed elderly are to power loss that can put their lives in danger.
His hard work has produced major new laws to: protect children from carbon monoxide poisoning; increase protection for victims of domestic violence; reduce underage drinking and youth gambling addiction, increase State and nonprofit organizations ability to respond to natural disasters; expand anti-obesity and wellness programs administered through the Department of Health; increase access by landlords to small loans to improve substandard housing conditions in their rental units, implementation of new technologies to increase energy monitoring efficiencies. He is a prolific bill drafter with dozens of bills passing one or both houses of the legislature during his tenure.
Marcos is a graduate of John Jay College of Criminal Justice, is married and has two young daughters.